


Disconnect

by ludgerkresnik



Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: Alcohol, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Human, Amnesia caused by trauma, Childhood Secrets, Childhood Trauma, Crossover, Depersonalization, Dreams and Nightmares, F/F, F/M, Former Lithuania/Female America, Gen, Hallucinations, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Implied/Referenced Drug Use, M/M, Mental Breakdown, Mental Health Issues, Mental Instability, Multi, Night In the Woods Crossover, Original Characters - Freeform, Other, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Panic Attacks, Unstable Relationships
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-09-11
Updated: 2018-09-11
Packaged: 2019-07-10 23:42:11
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,269
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15960065
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ludgerkresnik/pseuds/ludgerkresnik
Summary: Her childhood had always been a good childhood, one where she can't remember a time when she was sad. Yet, she knows something happened between her teen years and her adult life that has caused everyone to avoid her, to look away from her eyes and she doesn't know what.Now, she's dropped out of college and returned home to the nothingness of her dying Midwestern town, and she's stuck between being a teenager and having to grow up. Even if it means finally coming to terms with the things she wishes she doesn't have to come to terms with.





	Disconnect

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired by, and crossed over with, Night in the Woods. This story is centered around mental health, parts of recovery and deteriorating sense of reality. There will be mentions, and implied, of childhood abuse, alcoholism and drug use.

She rests her head against the trains windows, feeling it rattle every so often but she can’t bring herself to care. Everything outside is a blur of white, brown and a gray-blue color, a testament to the dreary colors of winter. It feels as though she had just closed her eyes when she hears the train bell whistles, signifying that they had arrived at their destination, and it’s time to get off. With a little stumble, she gets up and takes her time gathering her bags. She is, after all, the only passenger on the train.

When she gets off, the winter air bites at her skin and she shivers. She had just come from the west coast, having gotten used to the warmer temperatures there that she had been wholly unprepared for the biting winter of the midwest. She makes her way through the semi abandoned building, the lights are either off, dim and flickering and it gives it a feel as though it’s haunted. When she was younger, she would have been thrilled at the idea of going on a ghost hunt, but tonight, she’d rather get home. Somewhere, she hears the muffled sound of a television and figures that a janitor is working late, and is using the noise as comfort.

Her shoes squeak against the otherwise pristine floor, leaving accidental wet trails behind her. The main part of the building, is, of course, abandoned for the night. In the dark, she can barely make out the scheduled times, white, bold lettering against the black. There are no trains destined to make a stop here any time soon, as most prefer to leave than to live. There is nothing in this little town, and she knows it.  _ But it’s home for me _ , she thinks as she heaves the heavy metal door open and nearly tripping over the unnoticed step between the door and the ground.

_ Of course _ , she thinks, a little bitterly as she finds that there’s nobody outside waiting for her.  _ They forgot.  _ She knows her parents don’t mean to forget about her, or important things. They  _ are _ busy and for that, she can’t fault them. She would make a call, but her cell phone is dead, having nearly obsessively used it for the first few hours of her long trip home and the nearest phone booth no longer works (not that she has any loose change on her anyways). In the distance, she can hear the whistle of the train.  _ No going back now.  _

With a little sigh of resignation, the girl begins to make her trek home. She tries to avoid the deep snow banks and stay more on the side of the road and under the street lights. It’s the same as she had left it two years ago, quiet and sleepy. Yet, for her, the town doesn’t feel like it’s even in the 21st century, but in another time. She can make out the same deteriorating park, the same chipping, wooden benches, statues of long forgotten heroes, a flag hoisted over a memorial. And she can picture her younger self running through the streets, heavily decked out in winter gear, excited to get to the nearby snowhill to go sledding.

There are ghosts that linger in the dead hour, and she would prefer not to notice them. She hurries her pace up.

When she gets home, she feels nearly frozen and the engulfing warmth and the lingering smell of cinnamon is a welcomed feeling. She drops her stuff down near the staircase, and follows the sound of the television.

Peeking her head around the corner, and brushing strands of her blonde hair out of her face, she spots her father sitting on the same old couch that they have had for years, a beer bottle in his hand and the light of the television glowing on his face and glasses.

“Hey, dad.” She tries to casually greet as she fully enters the living room. Even their home, nothing has changed. Family pictures hang high above the wall, in the middle is the picture of her father, during his years in the National Guard, straight back and proud. There was no age on his face, no gray in his hair and his blue eye had shown with hope.

Her father grunts a bit and looks up, bags under his eyes. “Oh! Amelia Bedelia, hey sweetie.”

Amelia groans at that nickname. He used to call her that all the time when she was a child. “ _ Dad _ , don’t call me that.”

“Sorry, you know I can’t help it, as your father.”

Amelia wrinkles her nose. “Whatever. Did you forget about me?”

Her father groans a little. “Oh, Amelia, I am  _ so sorry _ .”

“S’okay, I don’t mind.” She debates on throwing herself over the back of the couch to see if she can stick a landing, but decides it’s best if she didn’t. “Was a nice walk anyways.”

“Why didn’t you call?”

“Phone’s dead.” Amelia shrugs as she pulls her phone out of her pockets to show him. Her fingers are just starting to regain feeling. “Anyways, I don’t mind. I got to see parts of the town, so that was nice.”

“I suppose. You need to be careful, you could get hurt.”

Amelia rolls her eyes. “I know, I know.” She stretches a little, her back cracking.

“Anyways, if you’re hungry, there’s some leftover lasagna in the fridge. It is, as usual, superb. Unless you’re still doing that whole vegetarian thing still, then, I don’t know what to tell you.” Her parents were supportive of whatever choices she had made, including her newly found care in the vegetarian diet, even if her father always takes some time to tease her about it. “I think we have salad.”

“Salad’ll be fine,” Amelia says as she pulls away from the couch, its rough fabric nearly burning her skin. She makes her way into the kitchen and flicks on the light. Her mother’s favorite book sits on the table, the cover and the spine showing obvious wear and tear. Come to think of it, Amelia doesn’t think she has actually ever looked through that book before, or even know what it’s about. Maybe it doesn’t matter.

She looks through the cupboards and fridge for something to eat, and successfully finds the salad her father had talked about. It takes her awhile to make something that will be satisfactory to her taste--even though she is a little bitter her parents threw out the food she had bought--and sits down in the chair she had always sat in since she was a child. As she munches on her food, she listens to the talk show hosts go on about something and spewing corny ghosts. She lets out a breath through her nose at a few, trying to suppress a laugh. Maybe that’s where her father had gotten his jokes when she was growing up, and maybe why she’s so fond of the stupid dad jokes.

After she finished eating, she cleans up her dish and heads to the stairway, grabbing her forgotten luggage.

“I’m going to bed!” She calls, and heads upstairs, only catching a muffled,  _ “Okay _ .” from her father. Her room, as it had been when she was a child, is in the attic. She had  _ insisted _ on it, determined to have her own little hideaway from the world and her father had given into her insistence, always willing to bend over backwards for his little girl. She had said it was because there’s a lonely ghost up there, and she had wanted to keep it company. Later, it became her hide away as a teenager, where she could practice guitar and stay up late without disturbing her parents.

It’s just the same as she had left it two years ago, her bed underneath the little half circle window with the moonlight pouring in, her black comforter displaying the logo of one of her favorite bands, neglected electric guitar in the corner and unkempt drawers. A few clothes are hanging up, pleated skirts and other types of styles when her best friend, Alice, had influenced her interest in the punk lifestyle.

She wonders if Alice is still around, or if any of her former friends had stayed in their little hellhole of a town. Maybe not, as they all had big dreams after high school.

Stripping down to nothing but her bra and underwear, Amelia throws herself down onto her mattress, the softness and engulfing warmth is nice compared to what her dorm had offered her the past two years. It doesn’t take long before sleep welcomes her with open arms.

 

\--

 

Amelia sleeps past the morning hours, and well into the afternoon. She had thawed out sometime overnight and can still feel the soreness in her legs as she forces herself out of the comforts of her bed. She quickly dresses, pulling on a maroon sweater with the Wonder Woman logo emblazoned in gold across the shirt and a pair of jeans and socks. With that, she deems herself ready to be presented to the world, and heads back downstairs.

She tries to ignore other family photos that hang along the soft, baby blue walls (that was Amelia’s idea when she was young). These ones she doesn’t like, because it feels like they are always watching her. None of them are family members she knew of, most had passed away before she was born and her parents never talk about them. Her fingers slide along the wooden handle of the staircase and she jumps from the last two and lands with a little grunt.

Her parents are at work, so she decides she could explore the town to see if there’s anything new. Grabbing her winter jacket, that she surely has outgrown, and pulls it on. Like she had done when she was a teenager, she picks at the Captain America patch her mother had kindly sewn on for her. She slips on her tennis shoes and heads out the door.

Amelia can hear the familiar sounds of construction to her right, and she swears they’re stuck in time, having worked on that same road every single year and having been there since she left, two years ago,  _ in the fall _ . With a huff, she goes left. It’s the longer way around to the better parts of the town, but she figures it shouldn’t matter. A walk would be useful, even if she finds it too cold for her liking (and finds herself wishing her family had found a warmer state to settle in when they had first arrived to the United States so long ago).

The snow crunches beneath her feet, and she steps away as four children run past her, in some sort of game of chase. They’re yelling, their voices fill the otherwise quiet air. A few cars pass by, but nothing too distinguishable.

Someone is sitting on their snowy doorstep, knees to their chest and fingers fumbling with a cigarette. Mop of blond hair falls into his face, and he keeps his gaze down. She can barely remember him, though she does recall he was a younger student at her high school and was pretty quiet and stayed out of the way.

“Hey,” Amelia greets. A familiar face is a familiar face, she figures. Might as well get to know  _ someone _ .

He gives her a wary look for a brief moment, brows furrowed and lips pursed. He removes the cigarette from his mouth, holding it between his fingers and a puff of air is expelled. “Um, hello.” There’s a thick accent to his voice, and Amelia still can’t recall who he is or where he’s from. Maybe he’s new to town and she’s mistaking him for someone else? “Amelia...right?”

Amelia gives him a bright smile, the one everyone has always loved. “Yeah! I forget your name…” she trails off and gives a nervous laugh. “You were a year under me, weren’t you?”

The guy nods. “We were in the same maths and science class, though.” He plays with his hair. “I’m Janez.”  _ Oh right, that quiet kid.  _ He never did leave much of an impression on her, but she never really interacted with him outside of maybe asking him for notes from the days she had to miss class. “Uh, I thought you left for college.”

“Yeah, I did.” Amelia says, hoping she can somehow steer the conversation away from  _ that _ . “How come you’re here? Like, I remember you were super smart and could have gone anywhere. You knew a lot of languages!”

Janez licks his lips. “Ah, well, that’s um…” Just like her, he seems to want to avoid that kind of topic.

“S’okay dude. What’s changed here?”

Janez shrugs. “Well, Vuk became a cop.”

“Oh, no shit?” She remembers him. He used to sneak a lot of them alcohol at their parties in the forest, and would sometimes bring weed with him as well. She thought he was pretty cool, for a guy who didn’t really live in their dying town. At the time, from what she remembers, he was actually living in the next town over and going to college. She hadn’t expected the idea of him becoming a police officer was in his future, but she supposes she shouldn’t judge people based on character.

“Yeah.” Janez’s voice is a little hushed. There’s a loud commotion from behind the doors he’s sitting in front of. “Um, I have to head back inside. I’ll see you later, I guess.” Within a few seconds, he’s inside, the door opening and closing quickly. She hears muffled words, in a language she doesn’t know, and decides whatever is going on is none of her business.

Amelia stands there for a few moments, a little stunned. She’s not sure  _ why _ , as she doesn’t really know this guy but maybe that doesn’t matter. She can try talking to him later, but for now, she figures she could continue her explorations of her familiar, yet not, home.

The streets and sidewalk are fairly clean, not many people litter as they wish to preserve the beauty their small town holds with the mountains as a massive, beautiful and threatening backdrop. She stuffs her hands into her pockets, feeling them start to freeze and makes a mental note to invest in some winter gloves when she can.

Inside her pocket, she feels something papery and grabs onto it. Pulling it out, she finds, with elation, a wrinkled up twenty dollar bill.

“Thanks, sixteen year old me!” A couple of people give her a strange look and she shoves it back into her pocket and gives them a sheepish look. As she passes by buildings, she finds most of them are bordered up or on the verge of being shut down. There is not enough money, or people, to keep them running and she’s sure a lot of the families are looking to move elsewhere, where they can continue to have a shot at living.

Amelia finds the corner store, and balks at it. She remembers there being a smaller store here, something that was locally owned by an elderly man. There hadn’t been very many candy selections, or drink selections, most items were geared towards cars, cigarettes and other things like that. Yet, in its place, looks like something  _ teenagers _ and young adults would like and appreciate, with its flashing signs and neon colors. It’s almost a headache to look at.

She pulls open the door, and is greeted with quiet, but noticeable rock music. The singer is going on about a lost love or something sad that happened in their life, she can’t tell and she doesn’t care. Inside, is pristine, large and various candy aisles and fluorescent lights that shine off the floor. Amelia finds it dizzying, even though she had gotten used to similar stores back in the city she had gone to university. She walks through the aisles, staring at all the different candies and wondering which ones she should spend her money on.

After selecting a few, and going to grab a bottle of soda, she makes her way up to the front. A familiar face is standing behind the counter, with a permanent scowl on his face. The expression disappears as he takes her in.

“ _ Amelia _ ?” His thick Boston accent becomes even more hard to comprehend as he sounds surprised. Those reddish brown eyes are wide. “Amelia, you’re back?”

“I’m back, in my ever amazing glory,” Amelia answers, with a little grin. “Don’t stare too long, or I might disappear!”

“Holy shit.”

“Miss me?”

“ _ Did I ever _ !” Allen almost yells, alerting a few other patrons in the store. They stare. He draws in a deep breath. “Are you back for break? Why did you come back? How long are you staying?” He bombards her with questions, trying to keep his voice at a suitable level as to not disturb anyone else.

“Well, I uh,” Amelia isn’t sure how to really tell him. Even  _ she’s _ not sure why she decided to drop out and return to the nowhere that is their little town. “I just missed everyone.” She isn’t sure how to explain how she hadn’t been feeling good, how something inside of her disconnected. “So, here I am!”

“ _ Fuck _ . I gotta tell James.”

She perks in interest. “Oh? You and James are still together?”

Allen leans forward, elbows on the glass counter. “You know it.”

Amelia feels a little bit of envy. All of her romantic endeavors always ended in failure or her accidentally ghosting them. There was one person she was almost successful with, but broke it off due to some weird paranoia that they wouldn't last. Yet, here is Allen, able to keep a romantic relationship he’s had since their junior year of high school.

“Well, that’s great! What time do you get off? We should hang.”

Allen pulls back, huffing. “Closing. Which is midnight.”

“ _ This is open until midnight _ ?” Amelia finds herself unable to grasp that idea. There’s no way the city council would have allowed that in their sleepy little town. “What. The. Fuck.”

“ _ Right _ ?” Allen sweeps her stuff into a bag, pretending he had rung her stuff up. “It’s neato but it sucks because I do want to be with my boyfriend.”

“Yeah, I get that.” Amelia accepts the plastic bag from her long time best friend. The logo on the bag is a gaudy green color, with purple diamonds around it, and she wonders if they’ve fired the person who made it and got their money back. “Uh, is Alice still here?”

“Yeah.” Allen answers. “She runs the shop just a few blocks from here.”

“Sweet, I think I’ll go say hi to her!” Amelia turns to leave, but Allen’s voice stops her.

“You should just let her focus on work,” He advises. “She doesn’t really like to be interrupted during work hours. I’ll text you when I get off, ‘kay? We can all hang out then. There’s a party after all.”

Amelia agrees.

 

\--

After she had gotten home, Amelia had hurriedly eaten dinner her mother made in celebration of Amelia’s return--even if it was sudden. Afterwards, she had dashed upstairs to get changed into something more suitable. She is, after all, meeting up with long time friends and should be a little more presentable than “college drop out”. Going through different outfits, and staring at herself in the mirror for a little too long, she had finally settled on some long sleeved black shirt with the sleeves flaring out--a top her former roommate chose for her--and a pair of blue jeans. 

She finds herself feeling weird, just like she had back in college. Amelia pulls at her skin, wondering if she’s leaving her body as her lungs begin to restrict.  _ This isn’t me,  _ she thinks with a little panic.  _ This isn’t me.  _

“I’m a monster.” She says, out loud, to no one and flinches at her own voice. It doesn’t sound like it belongs to her, and she rubs at her throat. Amelia debates calling for one of her parents, because Mom or Dad, their voices were always a source of comfort, a beacon in the sea of her anxiety. They always calmed the ghosts when they got angry, dispelled the monsters that lingered in every corner but she isn’t so sure they can pull her back now.

She lays down for a nap.

When Amelia had received the text, the vibration having woken her up, she was fluttering with nervousness and excitement. Her previous feelings had disappeared with the nap, which she was grateful for. They were picking Amelia up in Alice’s car, which, of course, none too surprising as Allen doesn’t want to get his driver’s license and James doesn’t want to have them in his car. She half flies down the steps, and outside, the door slamming shut behind her. She barely registers the cold.

“Hey!” Amelia greets as she hops into the backseat.

“Amelia!” Allen half yells as he grabs her into a tight hug. “I missed you!”

“It’s only been six hours.” Amelia says, laughing as she returns his hug. So far, Alice has said nothing as she puts the car in reverse, pulling out of the driveway of Amelia’s home. “But I’ve missed you too, besty.”

“Hello, Amelia.” James says, his voice ever soft and sweet. Yet, it still cuts between the two’s joyous laughter. In the rearview mirror, Amelia sees him smiling.

“Sup, Jamie?” The smile goes away. “Did ya miss me?”

“I missed you, but not that nickname.”

“Yeah, well, it’s stuck now. Sorry, don’t make the rules.” 

“Whatever you say, Amelia.” Despite his words, she can hear the fondness in his voice. No doubt James missed her weird nicknames. “Welcome home.”

While Allen and Amelia chat away, Alice and James remain quiet in the front of the car. Alice has some sort of music playing, and she recognizes it as something from what they had both listened to in high school. The lyrics are still as wrenching as they were when she first heard them.

Soon enough, they arrive at their destination. It’s the typical hang out spot from what she remembers, a few old picnic tables, a fire pit and empty beer bottles strewn about. It’s hidden in a wooded area, so that way the local police officers can’t bust them.

Amelia is surprised to find a group of people hanging about, even though she knows she shouldn’t be since the nearby college kids come out here to party. It’s easier to get away with things when the police force is small, and it’s in a hidden area. Though, with Vuk being on the force, she wonders how long that will happen--though she hopes he isn’t a snitch.

“Grab yourself a beer,” Allen says. “Just chill.”

Amelia nods. She knows how it works. 

“Just uh. Forgot to warn you, but your ex boyfriend is here.”

“Uh, what?” That stops her from heading over to the table that contains the keg and cups. “ _ Tolys _ is here?”

Allen nods. “Yeah. You should talk to him.”

Amelia swallows. She would rather not but knows it would be polite if she did. She should at least see how he’s been doing. She knows he was accepted at some great college somewhere, pursuing his dreams for something to do with politics (she cannot remember for the life of her as to  _ what _ , since he was always so soften spoken and timid). Yet, her feet remain glued to ground as she scans the groups.

Her eyes do fall on Tolys eventually, and she feels her face heat up. Yeah, he’s taller than she remembers and his hair has gotten longer too. He’s also holding himself up straighter, more confidently. Not like when they dated back in high school. He’s talking to  _ Janez _ , who seems to be a little more relaxed than he had been just a few hours ago. There’s someone next to Janez, his arm possessively around Janez’s waist. A possible boyfriend?

Despite the cold, the fire that they had managed to somehow start creates a glow in the white snow and casts a nice warmth around them.

Amelia’s friends had already dispersed into other mini groups. Finally, she forces herself to move, pacing back and forth. Attempts at conversations with other people seem to end in failure as they mostly avoid her. She sees that Tolys is no longer talking to Janez and weird possessive stranger--those two disappeared somewhere. This is her chance.

She finds herself stepping towards him, and then backing away as though he contains some sort of disease she doesn’t want to catch. It’s not like their break up had been messy or anything, but Amelia  _ did _ break up with him. It’s for reasons she can’t even remember now. She grabs herself some beer and chokes.

She never did like alcohol.

“Maybe this is why adults are so bitter,” she grumbles as she fills her cup up a little more. “They get shit tasting drinks, while we get soda.” Yet, she wonders if there’s a reason her father likes to have a beer or whiskey when he gets home. Amelia downs the drink, ignoring the taste and fills up the red plastic cup some more.

She’s not feeling brave enough to speak with Tolys yet.

Amelia half stumbles around after her third cup. The feeling from earlier was starting to ease its way back into the forefront of her mind, and she swears she sees ghosts. She rubs her eyes. They’re not there.

She manages to get up to Allen and James, who are quietly conversing about something. “Hey guys, whatcha talkin’ about?”

“Just family stuff.” Allen answers. “Are you enjoying yourself?”

“Yeah!” Amelia forces herself to say, feeling a grin spread across her face. She feels like she’s going to puke. “Just havin’ a blast!” Even though people seem to be avoiding her, and she doesn’t even know  _ why _ .

“Good! Talked to your ex yet?”

Amelia wrinkles her nose. She’s not drunk enough for that. “Uh, not yet.”

Allen looks disappointed. “I see. Well, he’s standing over there, by himself. Go say hi!”

James nods in agreement. “I’m sure he’d be thrilled to see you.” His soft voice is full of encouragement, but Amelia has a feeling they’re trying to get her to leave them alone so they can do whatever it is that they do.

She would have to disagree to that, but she saunters away. She fills up another glass, and only manages half of it down before the feeling of needing to vomit overtakes her. Amelia staggers a bit and sits down on the tree trunk near the fire, staring at it’s dancing red and orange flames. She wonders what it’s like to be turned into ash, be spread out across vast fields and to let her spirit run free.

Her dog, Washington, had died her senior year of high school and they had him cremated. They had gone out towards the mountains, in a field where they used to camp out every summer and released his ashes. Amelia had watched, nearly sobbing like she had in the vets office, as they fluttered free in the wind. She wonders now, if he felt free when they did this or if he felt abandoned.

“Amelia?” Tolys’ voice cuts through her thoughts and she looks up at him. His figure is a little blurry so she squints, despite her glasses. “Hey. It’s so good to see you.” Much like James, he speaks quietly and his face is kind. Those stupid beautiful green eyes.

“Uh. Hey.” Amelia answers, awkwardly.

“How have you been?”

His stupid, sweet personality that wins people over.

“Fine, I guess.”

Tolys seems taken back by her short answers. “Uh, well. What brings you back? I thought you went to California for school.”

“I could ask you the same question.” Why is he being so nice to her? She can’t help but feel anger boil up inside of her.

Tolys runs a hand through his hair. “I’m just here to say goodbye before I go finish my schooling in Vilnius, in Lithuania.”

_ That _ sets her over. “You’re leaving?” Amelia doesn’t mean to, but her voice raises up an octave. She feels immediate regret when Tolys flinches back. He never did like raised voices. “Why are you  _ leaving _ ?” Yet, despite that, she can’t help  _ but _ yell. Perhaps it’s the alcohol.

“W-well,” He stammers out, fumbling for some sort of reason. “I can get a really good internship there a-and…”

That makes her even  _ more _ upset, and Amelia doesn’t know why. She’s normally so much more supportive towards people and their goals, and yet, here she is, having what feels like a meltdown because her ex boyfriend is leaving the country to live a better life. She becomes deaf to everything around her, unable to hear even her own words. She’s dragged back when Alice comes running, and grabs at her arm, pulling her from the tree stump.

“I think you’ve had enough for the night,” Alice says. Tolys is standing there, obviously uncomfortable. “I’m sorry, Tolys. I think she’s had a lot to drink.”

“Uh, it’s alright.” Him and stupid, forgiving nature. “I guess uh. Good luck, Amelia. It was good to see you.”

Alice pulls her away, away from the staring crowd, away from the too hot fire and towards her car. “C’mon,” she says. “I’ll take you home.” Amelia is somewhere between sobbing and calming down, yet unable to reach the level of calmness to form coherent sentences. “Just whatever you do, don’t throw up in my car.” Amelia sniffles and hiccups as she manages to climb into the front seat. “You’re a mess.”

“Yeah,” Amelia whimpers. “I know. Messy Amelia.” Alice says nothing as she starts the car. The drive is silent, barring the soft whimpers and sobs from Amelia. “How come you didn’t say hi to me?”

Alice grips the steering wheel.

“You stopped answering my texts.”

“Amelia, you’re drunk.”

“You were my best friend.” Tonight was supposed to be a good night, and yet, here she is, having a breakdown over absolutely nothing. “Why didn’t you talk to me for the last two years?”

“Amelia, please.” Alice’s voice is strained. “Shut up.”

“But I want to know!” Amelia argues, a fresh round of tears making their way to her eyes. “You weren’t there when I left!”

Alice tries her best to ignore her, and the drive is way too long but they finally make it back to Amelia’s place. By that time, the drunk girl has calmed down, even just a little bit.

At first, she debates on just kicking Amelia out but she knows it would be wrong to leave her to try to get inside herself, in her state. This whole situation would be hilarious if Amelia wasn’t having some sort of breakdown, since the beer isn’t  _ that _ strong. Though she knows Amelia has an aversion to drinking, has since the incident.

With a sigh, she unbuckles her seatbelt and gets out of her car and helps Amelia out as well. It’s almost a fight to get the girl inside her house and quietly up all those stairs. She’s a lot heavier than she looks. “God, you  _ had _ to choose the attic,” Alice grumbles and  _ finally _ , they manage to make it up all those steps and into Amelia’s room.

Unceremoniously, she drops Amelia down onto her bed. “Good night, Amelia.” She says, curtly. She only gets a half mumbled response.


End file.
